The Age of Worms/ The Spire of Long Shadows pt. 7 / Bris the 30th, 3593 CE / 8-10-23

Not By Choice has resolved to enter the ziggurat at the center of the ruined city of Kuluth-Mar, as they seek clues on how to stop the Cult of Caius. Nari flies her wagon low with the top down to make stepping onto the stones of the ancient structure easier. None dared touch the rotting and writhing earth of the grounds surrounding the ziggurat, lest its corruption grip them as well. Nari and her cohorts are the first to set foot on the stone steps of this dark temple and enter its halls. But just after doing so, hidden panels on the upper terraces of the ziggurat open to reveal large undead beetles streaming forth to assault the party. As the rest of the party considers the best approach to dealing with the beetles. and Idra frantically waves at them to enter the ziggurat's interior, the massive beetles begin to assault the wagon, badly marring Lulu in the attack. Rados flies into the ziggurat, carrying Lulu and Taavi to relative safety, while Jozu attempts to hold off the beetles. When Rados introduces fire magic into the mix, he manages to light some of the beetles on fire, creating a gruesome flaming barricade that gives the party times to escape deeper into the ziggurat, closing the stone doors behind them. The central chamber seems defined by a colossal, seemingly bottomless whole in its center. From this chasm rises sickly green vapors. At the edge of the precipice stands the knight of Caius whom the party encountered previously. As Not By Choice enters fully into the central chamber, the knight addresses them once more, asking if they have come to join in reverence of Lord Caius. Meanwhile Idra has beheld a vision of the same nature as the one encountered earlier by Rados. She sees a monolith with an inner light and the shadow of Caius being carried away by an ancient red dragon. Nari, unwilling to trust the undead, nods to Jozu, who tenses his muscles, sensing what's to come. Lulu asks the Caius Knight what can be found at the bottom of the pit, to which the knight replies that the sanctum of Caius forbidden to all but the most faithful. As he speaks, Jozu leaps at him with a mighty kick, casting the knight down into the pit, much to Lulu's chagrin, as she sees a potential source of information now lost.